hello!!
I am planning to work on an eagle painting. i was wondering if I could get some critique on my past paintings to understand what to work on this time around.
(newest to oldest)
(acrylic, 7cm x 7cm)
(acrylic, 12cm x 18cm)
(acrylic, 12cm x 18cm)
(acrylic, 12cm x 18cm)
here is the eagle painting sketch btw.
planning to do acrylic as usual.
i feel quite nervous about the background, as this is the first time that im painting an outdoors landscape.
just realised this is the wrong place for asking for critiques and that there is an entire category for that, so sorry!!
i may keep this here though, as it does fit as a work in progress.
OK I like the last ones, the fat cat in the tuxedo is funny. I think the main thing that can be improved is the background, but you said you are doing a landscape background so that should be nice. I think the white background can be a cool look if it's really intentional and it serves an artistic purpose. In the tuxedo cat one I feel it does. In the others it gives the impression of like dry media on paper because you can see through the paint to the background, which is cool but I'm not sure how intentional that is.
Typically you don't want white showing through your strokes because it can mess up perception of values, your lightest values won't seem as powerful. This is why I usually tone canvases first which a nice color that can complement the subject if it is seen through the paint. For example, on your bear painting, you can see bits of white canvas showing through, and I don't think that really helps the image.
So on the eagle one, you could seal the pencil drawing which fixative, or clear gesso if you want so it doesn't smear, (the drawing looks very good, btw!) and then use a wash of an earth toned paint diluted with water over the whole thing to remove the white. I usually paint an underpainting with the diluted color to indicate shading and values, then let it dry and paint the final colors over that. For example: (I did not paint this, it's just from google images)
This adds a lot of warmth and interest to the colors, even though you will cover up most of it, and it could be a good way to sketch the landscape before committing to it if you aren't too sure.
My other suggestion would be to not use black paint from the tube for the darkest areas, if you are. If you aren't doing that, try to mix more color variety. Again, it's an artistic choice, but typically solid black paint is a very boring color for shadows and looks kind of flat. Instead I would mix a dark color from your other paints which complements the subject, so maybe brown or red.
Finally, you might want to experiment with different canvas for your future pieces. The canvas texture is very visible on these, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But I find it easier to paint details on a smoother canvas, or panel. I don't really like the canvas texture too much. so I sometimes add another couple layers of acrylic gesso over rough canvas before I start (if I have time), because it will fill in those little bumps somewhat and make it a little smoother to paint on. If you tint the gesso it can also take care of the white canvas showing through issue at the same time. It is up to personal preference, but I suggest it as an option because some of your paintings do look like they could benefit from a smoother surface.
Hopefully this is helpful, I'm sorry if it comes off as just telling you what you already know. I'm not too sure your experience level in painting and art in general so maybe these tips are like things you're intentionally avoiding which is fair.
Nice works! My personal favorite is the cat/texedo image, very funny concept. I agree with the previous critique in regards to the canvas texture, perhaps you can use a different style paper that doesn't effect the material so much as it's a bit distracting?! Keep up the great work!
@JosephCow thank you for this!
the wash/underpainting is definitely a tip i will magpie. a lot of the time i will dilute my paints with a tiny bit of water to fill those gaps, but this tip seems a lot nicer as it gives a small touch of tone. trying out different canvases/textures also seems like a nice idea.
Quote:I think the white background can be a cool look if it's really intentional and it serves an artistic purpose.
for most of them, the white backgrounds were cause i just wanted to focus on painting the animals themselves, though i definitely feel adding a background colour wouldve worked well with the owl/2 cats paintings.
Quote:My other suggestion would be to not use black paint from the tube for the darkest areas, if you are. If you aren't doing that, try to mix more color variety.
while it was intentional for the owl painting, ive just been defaulting to black for most of the others. i think especially the fat cat in tuxedo painting couldve used this tip.
Quote:I'm sorry if it comes off as just telling you what you already know.
absolutely no worries! while im a fair amount experienced in art, i am very new to painting, and even for the stuff i did know it was very helpful to get a reminder.
(02-08-2024, 11:28 PM)cgmythology Wrote: Nice works! My personal favorite is the cat/texedo image, very funny concept. I agree with the previous critique in regards to the canvas texture, perhaps you can use a different style paper that doesn't effect the material so much as it's a bit distracting?! Keep up the great work!
thank u ^^)
ive made some progress on the painting and yeah, the texture is definitely a hassle to work around.
im definitely finding the feathers quite tricky, getting dense curved lines is hard without a small brush. i also think the order in which i paint things is not ideal, as some far away trees still have white splotches that are probably not going to be the easiest to remove. still, im liking how its turning out! the river, rocks and trees are going well so far.
artwork:
sorry about the horribly crusty colouring, i was tryna focus on lineart and shading so i kinda neglected it (didnt realise how bad it was until i sent the image from my craptop to my chromebook )
@Jephyr hello! and thank u ^^)
i do prefer digital art alot more than traditional art, but i like getting out of my comfort zone every now and then.
speaking of traditional art,,,
heres a traditional drawing i did of a friend's OC (original character). a bit old, i finished this drawing weeks ago.
apologies about the stuff on the bottom, planning to remove that later.
looking back, there were alot of errors (leg sizes are different, closer leg should be thicker, the top bit doesnt align with the middle bit, just to name a few) but im still very proud of it.
i realise that im not a huge fan of how i draw wolves. i always stylise them and draw them quite round. getting away from my art style/default way of drawing things is rather hard for me. advice on this is much appreciated, but no pressure if you dont want to.
and heres some digital ones,,,
typography of the word "schnee".
i like this one alot but i dont think all the letters match very well so im probably gonna experiment with the design more. the Es look way more chaotic than the other letters. i still like them tho, so i might try both making the Es more calm and making the rest of the word more chaotic.
an OC of mine. this drawing was done w/ a chromebook, trackpad and jspaint so i was rather limited. still, i like the outcome. it makes me want to attempt making something in 3D.
speaking of which, i tried downloading blender yesterday but it doesnt work on my craptop, so im gonna have to find a different program. not that mad about it tbh. blender has alot of cool features but its kinda intimidating so im happy to start with something more simple.
Nice work with your recent images, they all look very stylish. Feels like a throwback to the 90s era which gives it a retro look that works quite well!
(02-17-2024, 12:58 PM)cgmythology Wrote: Nice work with your recent images, they all look very stylish. Feels like a throwback to the 90s era which gives it a retro look that works quite well!
thank u! i totally felt the 90s 3D art vibe, which is what inspired me to try out 3D art.
speaking of which,,, i got an older ver of blender (blender 2.8) to run on my laptop yippee!
prior to blender i tried running some actual 90s 3D programs, but my laptop flagged them as potentially dangerous and didnt let me run them. i kinda wanna still try an old animation software so i might look into getting it to run another day, but for now ill stick with blender.
If you are going to watch tutorial make sure to check for the version they use since the version 2.8 came out in 2017 which is a 7 years gap in version you can figure that alot as changed since.
Obviously certain video are pretty timeless but the layout of the program may have change since which can be confusing and new feature added.
A great way to find out what is available to you is the search function you should start to use right away.You can go in the preference setting in the shortcut section and set a key if you want something else then the default key imput.It also helpful because of how menu heavy blender is.
I also recommend learning about quick favorite to create your own custom menu.
Sadly version 2.8 doesn't support something call asset library which mean importing content is a bit more tedious and repetitive.That going to become handy if you want to use work you done before to create large scene (that specially useful to those who work in environnement because they use alot of asset)Also using importing old project can be useful to re-use material.
You can have multiple version of blender you could try to upgrade to version 3.0 since it been introduce in that version.If you are sucessful you can always delete the previous version to save space on your hard drive.
For a low end laptop you might want to look at tutorial on how to tweak your graphic setting within blender to get better performance which can come at the cost of drop quality.But it better then to have lag.Also if you can't afford to do model with a high count of polygon i recommend getting familiar with lowpoly modelling which seem tobe in you well house i feel you have that retro energy you can also learn about something call pixelization which is a shader effect which would add a nice retro look to your project here you can see what it look like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uleyXAYl8E
Send me a email if you have any blender question or want blender suggestion.The email icon at the bottom of this post attach to this post should open the email section.
@Darktiste
thank you for this!
this reminds me that i should probably check more tutorials instead of just jumping in headfirst
i was initially worried about the number of tutorials available but turns out theres actually a lot of 2.8 resources. the asset library does seem rather helpful tho so i might try getting 3.0 running.
youre right about the low poly being up my alley X3 ive done some low-poly 3D models on my ipad.
ive seen the pixelation effect while researching the 90s 3D style. while its very cool looking, its closer to pixel art than to 90s dithering. still, it does seem pretty neat, definitely worth experimenting with.
I recommend you get familiar with the shortcut and note your favorite on a note that you can save and ref to. Memorizing them would be the real goal obviously.But for that i think it more important to be using blender to actually commit the information to your memory.So if you can find a tutorial to create something as a first project just to give you an excuse to look around blender it help otherwise not that it necessary but atleast this way you understand what you can and can't do yet and need to learn more about before doing your own project.
@darktiste the notes tip is a good one, thanks !! and fair point, practice makes perfect.
i normally will just jump in headfirst to a program, but this has in the past cause me to miss easier ways to do certain things (literally took AGES to realise how layers worked in the old 3D modelling app i used to use.).
ive already done a bit of messing around in blender, and while ive figured out a way to get a low poly style, theres alot of tools i have no clue how to use, some of which would probably make this modelling stuff alot easier.
i returned back to the wolf thing to try and improve my realism/form abilities
apologies, i quite often switch what im doing, im consistently inconsistent XD
only the one in the top left was done with a reference, the rest were just freeballing.
these two are from the same page, just rotated so its more comfortable to view
all of these were done with a reference.
pen probably isnt ideal for these drawings, but i like pen more. theres something nice in forcing myself to move on after ive made a mark. it also helps me make these quicker LOL.
BTW i will be absent for a couple of weeks to focus on my mocks.
Consistency and trying new thing is a key element to breakthrough otherwise you plateau.
There is certainly a point of diminishing return where the brain get tired of the same thing over and over again.
But if you train your brain to change subject constantly don't be surpris if you can't focus on a specific topic.
Practicing concentration can be done through the use of personal project. But this train all kind of fundamental which give slow result in learning.There are best use as some kind of check point to determine how your fundamental are evolving and pinpointing area of weakness aswell as to identify your strong fundamental.
Target study are what most fear but they can also become comfort zone where one loose it ability of imagination because it a observational heavy approch to learning it the repetitive type of careful study that is use to memorize and dissect a certain fundamental.
I think what most people leak is an understanding of what fundamental are but not only that they leak the practical exercise to turn a theorical concept into exercise that can evolve their skill.
What someone who leak the understanding those fundamental will do is simply draw what he see but will leak the rule to make those drawing evolve they will stay stuck mostly in the lineart phase and as they try to incorporate more realism they are meet with fundamental concept such as light and perspective which are very rigid fundamental that are complex subject matter that can overwhelm them very easily if not approch with a crafted approch from simple to complex.
This make them do scene where you can never see the horizon line and where light on surface might be inconsistent or incorrect.
Here an exercise if you are up for a challenge draw 3 cube put atleast one of them on an other cube and pick a perspective maybe it be 1 point 2 point or 3 point perspective.If that not enough decide of a light source you must make sure that the cast shadow of the cube that sit on top of the other cube cast is shadow on the cube underneath it.
This exercise serve to determine where you are in your understanding of perspective and light.You don't have to do any shading you only have to indicate where the cast shadow area would fall and you must have the horizon line at the center of your page you must state what perspective you used.
Hopefully you do it for yourself but i can't stress enough that having fun is as important as understanding there is certain thing that just suck the fun out of thing and i would say those are precisely perspective and light and shadow.
@Darktiste
you raise alot of fair points, especially the one about practical exercises and the one about having fun. its important that i strike a good balance between improving skills and enjoying myself.
i had a go at the challenge you suggested. (this is two point persepective)
ill admit, my persepective skills are low, but i dont want to focus on persepective yet - i feel there are other fundementals i wanna deal with first.
...and i JUST realised ive forgotten to add the shadow of the stacked block onto the block under it... oops
ive made some good progress on the eagle painting
i found some small brushes i didnt realise i had which did help alot with the feathers. i realise that the leg feathers are too dark, and the beak/legs are less vibrant/more matte than id had hoped. the tail also needs a bit more work. i am proud of the eagle's white head feathers though, that turned out really well.
heres the reference btw:
ive JUST NOW realised that those arent rocks, its tree bark.
i am realising alot of old mistakes now, huh...
ive also made a start on a new mini painting. this time of my own character, covalent bond (james bond... but its a covalently bonded molecule ehehehe) in a cornfield. this is a scene from a roleplay me and a friend are doing.
im not that happy with how i added the wash. i feel like ive added it to the wrong places,,, also the wash REALLY obscured the background sketches (not that devastating tho, my sketches arent really much help on such a small canvas). i am thinking of practicing drawing grass/cornfield/the background elements on paper before i do it on this canvas, since i wanna get the technique down before i get painting.
I ACTUALLY PLANNED OUT THE POSE BEFOREHAND FOR THIS ONE!! YIPPEE!
im celebrarting so hard because ive recently been feeling like the poses ive been drawing havent been conveying the emotions im trying to express as well as id wanted (for example, the one with the wolf and my friend's OC, and another artwork thats on my ipad that i havent posted here yet (im trying to make sure i have a study schedule in place before i give myself back ipad priviledges )).
finally, heres a drawing w/ some oil pastels i recently got. alot more messier since i was just testing/experimenting/having a first go.
was again focusing on pose and this is actually the first time ive managed to successfully get the pose to look decent on such a boxy character. yippee!!
heres the pose planning again:
ive been recently inspired by comic-like artstyles such as the smurfs and super bomberman R/super bomberman R2.
i love their use of more varied line thickness and very dynamic, exxagerated poses!! (hence my interest in improving my pose skills.) i want to try imitate/magpie the line thickness part of the style too one day.
heres some examples:
credits - image 1 from Super Bomberman R Online by Konami Digital Entertainment, image 2 from Super Bomberman R2 by Konami Digital Entertainment, image 3 & 4 from Les Schtroumpfs (The Smurfs) by Pierre Culliford
You don't seem to have any concept so far how how much the angle of an object related to the light source affect the shadow value.It very common we only tend to understand light on cylinder somehow...basically what i am saying is light is a gradient is not a solid united value.So what i suggest is to avoid graphite for now and get some marker which can build up value and to remember to work in pass to darker the color.Else what i suggest is not to use the point of the pencil to do hatch but to use the side tips of the pencil to create value. Hatching is a complex way to approch learning about value and light and shadow.
Also in perspective there is a concept call the cone of vision basically it cause distortion.To put it simply the closer you put your perpective point closer to each other the more distortion you cause.The general advise is to be able to imagine the vanishing point to be outside your piece of paper yeah it know it already asking alot when you are already try to estimate them on the page.Just make sure they are atleast at the edge on each side of the paper if you are not ready yet to try to visualize them outside the page.One trick that help sometime do complex drawing is to learn to draw grid this can help deal with the problem of vanishing point being outside the page they help guide the eye.I don't recommend it for traditional drawing but it fine for painting as you will hide the ''construction under a layer of paint but you will slowly loose the grid which is a down side sometime.You can do grid in second in digital medium aslong as you know some digital magic.
Congratulation on taking up the challenge.One thing you need to be more careful about is your vertical line they have slight angle or maybe it the way you took the picture that cause that impression.It why it kinda hard to properly give justice to whatever you do tradionally because you have to be mindful of the way it presented the page should allign with the border of the picture if you see what i mean.Also please try to properly maintain and store your drawing so they don't get deform or bent.
You should get the book you can watch a review here:https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&hs=Gvl&sca_esv=5471e4d8c457d32d&sxsrf=ACQVn099fHRyuDtaDoeeYgmQ0sg5AcWnTA:1710806106393&q=how+to+draw+for+fun+loomis&tbm=isch&source=lnms&prmd=ivsnbmtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjr6YCygf-EAxU7vokEHQPTCTcQ0pQJegQIFxAB&biw=950&bih=919&dpr=1#imgrc=eeNW6NDPvoFARM
Hey schnee, interesting to see someone using the traditional stuff around here. That stuff is too messy for me!
I just wanted to say that one of the best things to do w/ Blender is sit down and go through a course. There used to be a course called 'Blender Essentials' or something like that. The version I watched was from years ago. But it gave me a basic understanding of each part of the program. From there I could fill in gaps with random youtube videos. That worked pretty well for me, so maybe you could try something similar.
There's also the famous donut tutorials, which I think got a recent remake for Blender 4.0. Anyway, it's a worthy time investment IMO.
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yippee! 
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